A little known historical fact is that after WW2, the British TUC were asked by the then Labour govt, with American approval, to design a model for the ” new” German trade unions system. The workers on supervisory boards and other involvement was duly adopted: when the TUC asked for the same in Britain, the Labour government said ” no”! The rest, as they say, is history, as Germany’s industrial relations harmony thrived, and ours crumbled. Did all those workers who had loyally served in the military suddenly become ‘ overnight communists”? No… were management, too young for WW1 and too old for WW2 utterly hopeless and incompetent? YES!
It was the start of Pooteresque rule by lower middle classes, the curse of post war Britain, now a literal pandemic of jobsworth, decisionless incompetence, and self job protection from people whose only ability is to empty the daily in tray to the out tray, in mindless, decision free zombie mode.
A little known historical fact is that after WW2, the British TUC were asked by the then Labour govt, with American approval, to design a model for the ” new” German trade unions system. The workers on supervisory boards and other involvement was duly adopted: when the TUC asked for the same in Britain, the Labour government said ” no”! The rest, as they say, is history, as Germany’s industrial relations harmony thrived, and ours crumbled. Did all those workers who had loyally served in the military suddenly become ‘ overnight communists”? No… were management, too young for WW1 and too old for WW2 utterly hopeless and incompetent? YES!
It was the start of Pooteresque rule by lower middle classes, the curse of post war Britain, now a literal pandemic of jobsworth, decisionless incompetence, and self job protection from people whose only ability is to empty the daily in tray to the out tray, in mindless, decision free zombie mode.
Was there a completely different union culture in UK compared to Germany?
YES.
German unions see the health of their employer as a necessary precursor to good wages and conditions.
UK unions wish to destroy private employers and bring down the government.
Of course, and the established unions won’t be slow to claim credit.